Most modern automotive fuel systems utilize fuel injectors to deliver fuel to the engine cylinders for combustion. The fuel injectors are mounted on a fuel rail to which fuel is supplied by a pump. The pressure at which the fuel is supplied to the fuel rail must be metered to ensure the proper operation of the fuel injectors. Metering is carried out using pressure regulators that control the pressure of the fuel in the system at all engine r.p.m. levels.
It is believed that tolerances in pressure regulator components, and tolerances in pressure regulator assembly equipment, along with the inherent unbalanced forces applied by a compression spring to a diaphragm assembly, can cause misalignment between a valve ball and a valve seat. A known fuel pressure regulator uses a so-called “floating” valve ball that is movable within a valve assembly. By virtue of the valve ball floating, the valve ball can align itself with the valve seat, thus compensating for misalignment. In the known fuel pressure regulator, the floating valve ball assembly is made of a ball pocket, a valve ball movable within the ball pocket, a ball spring that applies a biasing force urging the valve ball along a longitudinal axis (thus opposing unrestrained movement of the valve ball along the longitudinal axis), and a floating retainer washer. The valve ball, ball spring and retaining washer are retained in the valve pocket assembly by either an additional feature coupled to the valve pocket or by rolling over a flange portion of the ball pocket.
The known fuel pressure regulator suffers from a number of disadvantages, including a valve ball assembly that includes a plurality of parts that must be sub-assembled before the valve ball assembly can be installed in the known fuel pressure regulator. Thus, there is believed to be a need to provide a pressure regulator that does not suffer from these disadvantages.